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Yule (2006)
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Yule (2006) The study of language
week 7-9
chapters 18 & 19
LANGUAGE
INDIVIDUAL
SOCIAL
Sociolinguistics
“I pronounce you man and wife.”
“ Do you know Tim and Sue got married?”
“Gimme a lift home, babe!”
“Would you be so kind as to take me home,
please?”
Everybody has the right to cast his vote.
Everybody has the right to cast her vote.
Everybody has the right to cast their vote.
These are terrorists. - No, they are freedom
fighters!
Sociolinguistics
“Who uses what language to whom when
and for what purpose(s).”
(Joshua A. Fishman)
Today’s lecture

Introduction

Basic concepts

Variation acc. to language users

Variation acc. to language use
Language Variation
2.Society
3.Situation
1. Time
4. Individual
historical variation
style
register, style
regional, ethnicity,
class, age etc.
Language Variation
2.Society
3.Situation
1. Time
4. Individual
historical variation
style
register, style
regional, ethnicity,
class, age etc.
Basic concepts - 1
variety - language - dialect - accent
variety a set of linguistic items with
similar distribution (Hudson, 1980)
language ?
perceptions; linguistic description
dialect ?
regionally localisable
accent ?
refers to pronunciation only
2 sets of criteria
• description - perception
• linguistic - socio-political/historical
e.g.:
dialects around the German/Dutch border
Chinese
Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian
Scandinavian languages
Swiss German
“A language is a dialect with an army and a
navy.” (Bolinger)
LANGUAGE - DIALECT
Linguistic usage
Popular usage
D1
D1
D2
D3
L
D4
D5
D2
D4
D5
LANGUAGE - DIALECT
Linguistic usage
Popular usage
L1
D1
L2
L3
L
L4
L5
D2
D4
D5
Basic concepts - 2
standard - non-standard
e.g.:
A. He ain’t got none.
B. I seen him.
C. Who did you mention it to?
D. Da hab ich genug von.
E. Da treff ma sich!
Standardisation (Haugen, 1966)
selection
elaboration
acceptance
codification
Standardisation (Haugen, 1966)
socio-political
linguistic
selection
elaboration
acceptance
codification
language norm
If [someone’s] reaction to the form (not the
content) of the utterance is neutral and he
can devote full attention to the meaning,
then the form is standard for him. If his
attention is diverted from the meaning of the
utterance because it sounds ‘snooty’, then
the utterance is super-standard. If his
attention is diverted from the message
because the utterance sounds like poor
English, then the form is substandard.
Wolfram and Fasold (1974)
Variation acc. to language users
Regional dialects
Social dialects
Variation acc. to language users
Regional dialects (taken from Freeborn, 1993)
3. A good boss was a good boss. He was
paying for the stuff that I were supposed
to make perfect or as near perfect as
possible. It's his money. It's his building.
It's all that. He's kept your childer for so
many year while you work for him, style of
thing – hasn't he? (Lancashire)
4. …I usually just sub, but then again, I'm a
defender. …I likes playing defender more
than anything else. (Plymouth boy)
Regional dialects (taken from Freeborn, 1993)
2. I used to work in Marks and Spencer's.
We've always kept friends with the people
in there, you know. And then I worked on
the station for nineteen year. (Carlisle).
3. When I heard the knocking I never
thought nothing like that could ever
happen. …. (Norwich)
Regional dialects - grammatical features
• Noun plurals
childer, year
• Person endings on verbs
I likes
• Distribution of forms of to be
• Multiple negation
I were
never thought nothing
Other:
past tense forms, personal pronouns, modals
•dialect - accent
•RP (Received Pronunciation) - Estuary
English
•dialect geography
•dialect continuum
•isoglosses + dialect boundaries
Social dialects
•social factors
•social class
social distinctions relevant to a society go
hand-in-hand with linguistic differences
Variation acc. to language use
idiolect - style - register (jargon); domain
idiolect: individual choice of language
style: linguistic choices depending on social
situation
scales: e.g. formal – casual;
impersonal – intimate; monologic – dialogic;
formulaic - creative
"Place the ingredients into a prepared dish.”
"Put the stuff into the bowl you've got ready.”
Variation acc. to language use
idiolect - style - register (jargon); domain
Register: “sets of language items associated
with discrete occupational or social groups” and
forms part of their jargon (Wardhaugh, 1998)
classroom - ecuational register
courtroom - legal register
church – religious register
football-fans
weight-watchers deer-hunters brain-surgeons
Domains (taken from Spolsky, 1998)
location
role-relationships (e.g.)
topics (e.g.)
home
mother, son
domestic,
personal
school
teacher, pupil
social,
educational
church
priest,
parishioner
sermons,
prayers, social
"Your dialect shows who (or what) you are,
whilst your register shows what you are
doing."
(Hudson, 1966)
Reading (YULE 2006)
Revise
pp. 194-200; 208-9, 210-11,
& Study Questions
Prepare
Remainder of chapters 18&19
• accent.gmu.edu
• www.bbc.co.uk/voices/recordings